Ice shelf product display unit

ABSTRACT

An ice shelf product display unit has a vertical support wall, a plurality of shelves extending out from the support wall, and a housing extending from the lower end of the support wall. The housing encompasses refrigeration equipment and components. Each of the shelves and the top of the housing have sunken wells or reservoirs which contain a series of switch back coils. The coils contain refrigerant which flows to, through, and from the coils via the refrigeration components to freeze water into ice within each of the sunken wells. When ice is formed in the wells, bottles, cans, or other beverage containing products placed on the shelves and top section of the housing will be maintained in a cold state, allowing consumers to purchase cold beverages for immediate consumption.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Stores Which sell both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in bottles, cans, or other containers, routinely present their products in attractive displays. Such displays usually have a product advertisement, a company logo, or other printed material or signage directly on the display. However, while certain displays have multiple shelving for supporting a number of beverage containers, these are generally positioned in non-refrigerated sections of the retail store. None of these displays, which are commonly stationed at the end of an aisle, are refrigerated to keep beverage containers cold. Thus consumers are unable to purchase an “off the shelf” cold beverage bottle or can. Of course refrigerated shelf containing display cases are prevalent in convenience and liquor stores, supermarkets, and other facilities where beverages are kept cold. However, these cases are fully enclosed and the shelves themselves are not independently refrigerated. The cases are more akin to large refrigerators with glass doors which must be opened to allow access into the refrigerated space. There are currently no attractive, cold product displays which maintain cold temperatures of beverage containers, while permitting the consumer open and easy access to the containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is thus the object of the present invention to provide a beverage container display unit Which attractively displays beverage containers and beverage advertisement and signage, while ensuring that the containers positioned on the unit are maintained at a chilled or cold temperature and that consumers have open and easy access to the containers.

These and other objects are accomplished by the present invention, an ice shelf product display unit having a vertical support wall, a plurality of shelves extending out from the support wall, and a housing extending from the lower end of the support wall. The housing encompasses refrigeration equipment and components. Each of the shelves and the top of the housing have sunken wells or reservoirs which contain a series of switch back coils. The coils contain refrigerant Which flows to, through, and from the coils via the refrigeration components to freeze water into ice within each of the sunken wells. When ice is formed in the wells, bottles, cans, or other beverage containing products placed on the shelves and top section of the housing will be maintained in a cold state, allowing consumers to purchase cold beverages for immediate consumption.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention, itself, however, both as to its design, construction and use, together with additional features and advantages thereof, are best understood upon review of the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ice shelf product display unit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of the ice shelf product display unit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ice shelf product display unit of the present invention, showing the primary components of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the ice shelf product display unit of the present invention showing the configuration of the refrigerated coils within the unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Display unit 1 comprises vertical support wall 2 having upper end 4 for the placement of a logo, advertisement, or other signage 6. Shelves 8 and 10 extend out from wall 2. Housing 14, with housing top section 12, extends from and may be secured to lower end 5 of wall 2. Housing 14 comprises space 16 which contains refrigeration system components including condenser 18, fan 19, compressor 20 and drip pan 22. Vent 26 is provided on front wall 28 of housing 14 and can be pivoted up to allow access to the refrigeration components. See FIG. 3. Opening 30 is located through housing 14 and wall 2 to allow for air flow.

Shelves 8 and 10 and top section 12 of housing 14 each comprise framing 38, 40, and 42 respectively, which circumscribes sunken reservoirs or wells 44, 46, and 48 within the shelves and top section. A series of switchback coils 54, 56, and 58 extend substantially the length of sunken wells 44, 46, and 48. The coils are filled with cold liquid/vaporous refrigerant supplied via supply piping 50 from the refrigeration components within housing 14. Return piping 52 with the heated refrigerant is returned to housing 14 Where it is recycled through the refrigeration components.

In use, sunken wells 44, 46, and 48 are filled with water. Compressor 20 is operated to cool refrigerant filled coils 54, 56, and 58 to a cold state and to run refrigerant through the coils, as is known in the industry. As this process continues, water in wells 44, 46, and 48 is cooled, then becomes cold, and eventually turns to solid blocks of ice 64, 66, and 68. Bottles, cans or other beverage containing products on display to be sold 70 which are placed on the ice will thus remain cold for purchase.

When there is a need to remove the ice for cleaning, because the system is no longer required, or for other reasons, compressor unit 20 is simply turned off and ice 64, 66, and 68 is allowed to melt back to water.

Thus, display unit 1 not only provides an attractive display for the presentation of beverage products for sales, but also maintains such products in a cold state, thereby permitting consumers to purchase cold beverages for immediate consumption.

Certain novel features and components of this invention are disclosed in detail in order to make the invention clear in at least one form thereof However, it is to be clearly understood that the invention as disclosed is not necessarily limited to the exact form and details as disclosed, since it is apparent that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. 

1. An ice shelf product display unit comprising: a vertical support wall having an upper end and a lower end; a plurality of shelves extending out from and perpendicular to the support wall, each shelf containing embedded cooling coils through which refrigerant is configured to flow; a housing extending from the lower end of the support wall, said housing containing refrigeration means for continuously cooling refrigerant; and refrigeration transfer means for supplying cold refrigerant from the refrigeration means to each of the cooling coils embedded in the shelves, whereby each shelf is uniformly provided with cold refrigerant from the refrigeration means to maintain a constant cold surface on each of the shelves.
 2. The product display unit as in claim 1 wherein each shelf comprises a sunken well housing the cooling coils.
 3. The product display unit as in claim 2 wherein the said constant cold surface in each of the shelves comprises the top surface of a block of ice formed within the sunken wells of the shelves.
 4. The product display unit as in claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises a top section containing cooling coils through which refrigerant configured to flow, whereby the sunken well of the housing is provided with cold refrigerant from the refrigeration means to maintain a constant cold surface on the top section.
 5. The product display unit as in claim 1 wherein the refrigeration means comprises a compressor and a condenser.
 6. The product display unit as in claim 1 wherein the refrigeration transfer means comprises piping extending from the refrigeration means to each of the shelves.
 7. The product display unit as in claim 1 wherein the housing has an open back and a front comprising a vent which covers the refrigeration means.
 8. The product display unit as in claim 6 wherein the refrigeration transfer means comprises piping extending from the refrigeration means to each of the shelves.
 9. The product display unit as in claim 1 wherein the upper end of the support wall comprises signage. 